An enlightening moment with Ayrin Islam on women in tech

Albeit we are celebrating International Women’s Day today, the world is far from accepting women’s empowerment. That is especially true in the tech industry. It’s been more than a century after the first International Women’s Day, but we still don’t see too many women in the tech industry.

It’s because society has always set the taboo on women about what they should do, and what not. However, as always, there are exceptions.

Ayrin Islam, Co-founder and CEO of ringID is one of them. ringID, is an all in one social networking platform acclaimed by critics and loved by its users, contains basic features such as free voice call, chat, multilingual stickers, newsfeed along with secret chat, media cloud, music/video streaming etc. Although she was a Finance graduate, she always had an interest in technology, and thus involved herself in the tech business. Like so many women entrepreneurs, the journey wasn’t easy for her. But with determination and self-confidence, she has overcome the obstacles and established herself in the tech industry.

In an interview with The TechNews, she shares her journey as a woman in tech.

What advice would you give to young women considering choosing a career in tech?

Proper career planning and setting academic priorities accordingly are essential tasks for a woman. These must be performed before graduating college. From my perspective, I often see women are given less priority in the tech sector. It’s due to the negativity imposed on them by the society. All the social stigmas confronted by women in the tech sector are just as similar to the issues persisting in other industries; therefore, only greater involvement by women with tech can permanently eliminate these social issues hindering their growth.

What motivated you to choose to enter the tech space?

I have always been passionate to try out the latest technology. My passion resulted in me being an early adopter of new releases, be it gadgets, software, apps, and even updates. I believe these are the reasons behind my immense passion in the tech industry, in spite of being a Finance graduate.

Have you faced any challenges as a woman in tech?

There are countless numbers of challenges encompassing entrepreneurship. These numbers are likely going to multiply if you’re a woman. As the world still hasn’t become adapted to seeing women entrepreneurs in the tech industry. I had to endure discouraging remarks from people who said, it was already too late to enter the social networking industry, but my efforts never lessened.

Having a strong mindset and ability to take challenges are the key characteristics of any successful entrepreneur, regardless of their gender. Particularly in the tech sector where there is only a handful of women on the front. Therefore, passion and self-confidence are the main ingredients required to succeed in the tech industry for women.

What are the perks of being a woman in tech?

Tech is a true meritocracy. Either you have the goods or you don’t. Technology possesses almost zero concern for the color of one’s skin, ethnicity, and gender. Despite data on the absence of women and their credentials, it does not necessarily raise the barrier for women in the tech sector. Rather, having adequate knowledge beforehand will technically guarantee women the edge over others.

Do you have anything to say to all of our future female entrepreneurs?

Entrepreneurship is a rare gift that must get adequate emotional support and practical guidance. Believe in your dream, even if no one else believes in them. A female entrepreneur should not be afraid to take adequate risks while being practical about her decisions.

With a little bit of support and guidance, the world might turn into a better place if more women allowed themselves to make their dreams a reality.